Prince Of Darkness
Chapter 1
A veil of darkness cloaked the land as a trail of mist enveloped the moon in its wake. Duo stood there on the balcony gazing at the ebony sky as tiny specks of light called stars peered through the darkness. "Looks like it's going to be a beautiful night Horus," he said darkly to the black bird on his shoulder. "Yes sir, another dark night to relish in. What do you plan to do?"
Duo looked out blankly at the dark landscape that held his gaze. He said nothing and the bird remained perched on his shoulder, not muttering another word. "Horus, if you would please...."
"Understood sir," the bird cawed and then flew off. Duo walked over towards the edge of the balcony and slowly climbed up on the broad railing. One leg dangling over the side, he let out a deep sigh and closed his eyes.
"I condemn you to eternal life so that you may live forever with the souls of the ones you've taken life from!" That voice resonated in his head and there was not a single moment that passed where it would cease. Those words would haunt him, sending painful memories to resurface in his mind. The night only seemed to bring out the pain more. He had been sentenced to the night, he had become a vampire, dwelling in the shadows of the passing day. He could no longer see the golden rays of sunshine that the afternoon possessed. Locked up in his castle, curtains drawn, he yearns to be out dancing in the warm rays, letting the warm breeze float through his hair, but he could no longer do that, he had cursed himself and now he is succumbed to darkness forever. He then let out a painful blood curdling cry that echoed through the night. Silence ensued momentarily followed by the low howls of the wolves.
Horus watched his mastered silently behind a long tapestry. Every night was the same thing, cries of pain followed by silence. 'Poor master' Horus thought sullenly as he watched Duo get down off of the railing and walked back inside. Shutting the doors behind him, he walked into his bedroom and threw himself upon the crimson sheets and silently wept bitter tears. Horus flew from his perch and rested upon the headboard of the bed. All of a sudden, there was a deadly silence. Duo slowly rose from the bed and sat up, the look in his eyes sent chills down Horus's spine. The once brilliant violet eyes were now empty pools of color. It seemed as if the life had been drained out of him, his very soul ripped from his body. "Sir..." Horus began to say but was interrupted by a very melancholic voice.
"I have nothing left Horus. If this curse of eternal damnation is to be broken, it shall be by the one person who can give me back my heart and soul that I have lost. Until then, I have nothing." Horus watched as his master got out of the bed and walked out onto the balcony once again. In a cloud of smoke, Duo changed into a bat and flew off into the night to wallow in the depths of his sorrow. Horus remained perched upon the headboard where he awaited the return of his master.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Hours into the night, Horus awoke from his sleep to the sound of the balcony doors opening. A gust of wind blew through the room as Duo flung open the doors, ruffling Horus's feathers and causing Duo's long chestnut hair to furl in sync with his long black cape. He slowly walked into the room, his eyes possessing a demonic look within them. Horus just sat there, not saying a word. He had become accustomed to this ritual of Duo's. Duo refused to take the life of others to feed his hunger for blood so he fed off of the sickly animals that dwelled in the forest. After every meal, the blood of his victim coursed through his veins, bringing out the vampire inside him. He struggles everyday with the urges of his inheritance as a vampire against his true self. This demonic plague has tortured him, his battle with his lust for blood versus his love of life. He locks himself within his castle, sheltering him from the temptations of the world. A recluse he remains and by his side, his only companion, Horus.
His body, weary from the night, collapses on the crimson sheets of his four-poster mahogany bed. Duo's body, overcome with exhaustion, goes into slumber for the rest of the night. Tossing and turning, horrific visions flood through his mind. Visions of hell engulf his slumber as all of the faces of his victims come back to haunt him. Their blood curdling screams echoing through his mind, torturing his inner soul. Duo suddenly wakes up, his eyes wide and full of intense fear. He wipes the sweat from his brow and combs his fingers through his mane. Every night he was haunted with the same nightmare, it was a constant reminder of his sins. He will never be allowed to forget his wrong doing, and with eternal life, he will pay for what he has done. Duo slowly rose from his bed and looked at the old clock on the wall. "Another sleepless night," he mutters and swings his legs over the side of the bed and gets up.
The rustling of the bed caused Horus to wake as he was still perched on the headboard. Duo, dressed from head to toe in black with a loose, black poet's shirt and black jeans, walked towards the door. His brown silky hair fell in loose waves down his back like a cloak. Horus flew from his perch and landed upon Duo's shoulder. "Good morning Horus," he said in a melancholic way.
"And to you sir," Horus replied.
Duo pushed open the creaky door and entered the cold, dark, hallway. The hall was adorned with old candle fixtures and ancient armor of years past. The candles gave off an eerie light as they flickered, casting a silouhette upon the stone wall. He walked down the cold hallway and to the top of the stairs, which were deep mahogany just like every other piece of furniture in the house. He descended down the stairs slowly, a creak following each step. The castle had been abandoned for years in the deep woods of Eastern Europe. The castle was once owned by a wealthy, but lonely baron who died an untimely death. With no relatives to claim the inheritance, the people left the castle as it was. He took refuge there ever since this curse was bestowed on him and has called it home ever since.
As he walked down the stair case, to his right was a huge room with huge stone walls on each side. Against one wall, a huge marble fireplace that was a good five feet tall and eight feet wide and had a beautiful old painting hanging above it. In front of it, a lone wing-backed chair that rested upon an old Persian rug. There were enormous windows surrounding two sides of the room, their beauty covered by scarlet curtains. There was a grand bookcase that extended across one whole wall and was about as high as the ceiling itself. On the last wall, there was another hallway that led to some more grandiose rooms within the castle.
Duo reached the bottom of the stairs and walked over to the fireplace and started a fire. He sat down in his chair and Horus sat on top of the backing. "Sir, you mustn't sit around all day, it disturbs me to see you this way," Hours said with concern.
"Like I said before, I have nothing left. Every thing I do will be done in vain," he said solemnly.
Horus just hung his head in silence. His tiny heart constricted at the sight of his master going through so much torment. Duo was once a happy young man with a love of life, which he fought so hard to protect. He was punished for trying to protect his fellow man from the maniacs of the world, that very thought crushed his very being. "Horus," Duo spoke quietly, "My love for life is what has brought me to this, it has made me what I am now. The life I once adored has turned its back on me and I despise it. Even God himself refuses to acknowledge my tortured soul, he will no longer let me wear the cross that bears his name. I'm stuck in purgatory until my salvation comes to set me free."
"I am sorry sir," Horus cawed silently. Duo remained silent and let the flames of the fire dance in his eyes.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Deep within the forest, a young woman made her way through the dense woods. Her long, silky ebony hair was pulled back into a braid, leaving a few strands to frame her tiny face. Her eyes like sapphires mounted on an almost ivory face that was covered with smudges of dirt. The young maiden appeared to be a peasant girl, dressed in a once beautiful but now tattered dress and a hooded cape that was draped around her shoulders. She was very thin, as if she hasn't eaten in days. "I must find shelter soon," she said wearily as she looked up at the darkening sky. A storm was coming and the wind started picking up quickly. In the distance, she saw what appeared to be a steeple or a tower. "That looks like something," she said hopefully.
She began making her way through the thick foliage of the forest. The cold wind began to whip her hair against her face as she trudged forward along the forest floor. All of a sudden the sky burst open sending sheets of rain falling towards the ground. The icy wind blew the frigid rain against her face, the rain stinging her delicate skin. She moved forward, not ceasing until she reached shelter. Within minutes, she came upon this huge rod iron gate that stood almost twenty feet tall. She pushed it open with all of her might and before her eyes, a gigantic stone castle with two stone towers adorning each side. She hastily moved across the lawn until she reached a set of stairs with two stone lions perched on columns on each side. At the top of those stairs was a set of doors. She ran up the stairs and sought shelter from the rain under the entry way.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"Horus, if you would excuse me," Duo said as he got up and ascended the stairs.
"As you wish sir," Horus replied as he watched his master go up the stairs.
Duo made his way up the stairs and walked down the dark hallway. The candles flickered in his wake as he turned the corner down another hallway. At the end of the corridor, a solitary door stood. He proceeded towards the door, looking out the windows at the rain along his way. He opened the door, grabbed the torch from off of the wall and walked up a spiraling stone stairway. At the top of the stairway, was a small room that was surrounded by windows. He was at the top of one of the towers. He took a seat on a small stone bench that rested against the wall. From there he could look out at the world, the one that so cruelly betrayed him.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
She slowly opened the door and walked inside. "Is anyone here?"